1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an air conditioner control system that uses a PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network) and a method for operating the same. More particularly the present invention relates to an air conditioner control system, and a method for operating the same, in which a remote control operator is able to control a plurality of air conditioners through the PSTN. In particular, receiving modules having unique IDs (Identities) are connected to the different air conditioners which use the same telephone line.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, an air conditioner includes an indoor device and an outdoor device. A coolant circulated through the indoor and outdoor devices establishes a thermal cycle of compression, condensation, expansion and evaporation In this manner, conditioning of indoor air is performed by a cooling or heating operation. When central management of the cooling/heating operation in a large building is required, the air conditioner system may include indoor and outdoor devices installed in each room or area within the building. When a separate air conditioner is installed in each room of a home or building, an operator must go to each room to input a control command into the air conditioner and identify a control state of the air conditioner.
A multiple air conditioner system has been developed to perform indoor air conditioning while reducing installation and maintenance costs of a plurality of air conditioners. Such a multiple air conditioner system includes a plurality of indoor devices provided in respective rooms and a single outdoor device. The outdoor device detects operating states of the indoor devices and controls the circulation of coolant to the indoor devices. Such a multiple air conditioner system is generally provided in a large building. However, a conventional air conditioner including an indoor device and an outdoor device can be provided in each separate room to perform air conditioning.
Home network systems have recently been developed in which a plurality of home appliances are connected to an internal network provided in a home. The network is connected to a server appliance having data processing capability, and which controls the home appliances. All of the home appliances connected to the network can thus be controlled in a centralized control manner. The server appliance may be connected to an external Internet network. A remote control operator controls the home appliances from a remote location by accessing the server appliance through the Internet network. The remote control operator can input a control command and identify an operating state of a home appliance.
For such a home network system to operate effectively, very high-speed Internet networks must be regionally provided, and internal home networks must be provided within homes or buildings. However, home network systems are not readily applicable to large buildings or apartments where the availability of Internet networks is insufficient.
FIG. 1 is a view illustrating the configuration of a conventional air conditioner control system using a PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network). As shown in FIG. 1, such a conventional air conditioner control system can control a multiple air conditioner system or a plurality of air conditioners independently provided in different rooms. An air conditioner 10 is connected to a telephone terminal so that a remote control operator can send a call signal to a building or home in which the air conditioner 10 is located to establish a call connection. By manipulating numeric keys or buttons of a telephone 20 to input simple control commands, such as an power on/off command, the control command is sent to the air conditioner 10 through the PSTN. In this manner, a few simple functions of the air conditioner 10 can be remotely controlled.
However, in the conventional air conditioner control system using the PSTN, the remote control operator can only input the control command to the telephone 20. Because the control commands are defined by a manipulation sequence of numeric keys or buttons, only simple control commands are possible. Accordingly, there is a problem in that a detailed control command cannot be remotely input or transmitted. Moreover, in the conventional air conditioner control system using the PSTN, only a single air conditioner can be controlled through a single telephone number. However, a plurality of air conditioners cannot be simultaneously controlled within a building using the single telephone number.